daftandbarmy
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Professionals discuss logistics....
'Fighting Support Companies...' I liked that one
"Several thousand 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers were deployed to Poland in February of last year, amid mounting signs of Russia’s intention to invade Ukraine. We were there “to reassure our NATO allies, deter any potential aggression against NATO’s eastern flank, train with host-nation forces, and contribute to a wide range of contingencies.” Prior to our arrival, it had been over seventy-five years since a paratrooper from the division had set foot on the European continent during a period of such tension. Although their predecessors in the division had jumped into combat or manned their gliders into places such as Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Normandy, Holland, Belgium, and ultimately Germany, last year’s deployment brought the paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division to a new country to add to its lineage: Poland.
I had the privilege of serving on the brigade staff during this crisis, including a brief period as the brigade S4—the unit’s logistics officer. As a captain with less than a year’s experience, I had my work cut out for me at times. Although challenging, I found motivation and drive seeing young paratroopers in action and knew good staff work would eventually lead to making each paratrooper’s day a little easier. Working on the brigade staff for the planning, deployment, and first few months on the ground, when tensions were extraordinarily high, gave me somewhat of a broad perspective on the deployment. When I assumed company command for the second half of the deployment, which was a challenging transition, I gained an entirely different perspective: I went from planning with division and corps down to the company level, where my paratroopers were now executing those same plans and operations.
The time we spent in Poland is a chapter in the 82nd Airborne Division’s history, and the experience offers lessons not only for future soldiers who will wear the All-American patch but for the entire Army. From my vantage point—first as a staff officer and then as commander of the brigade’s field maintenance company—I had the chance to learn several of these lessons firsthand. Operation European Assure, Deter, and Reinforce was a first in many aspects, and both its successes and failures must be captured. That’s simply how we make our Army better."
mwi.westpoint.edu
'Fighting Support Companies...' I liked that one
"Several thousand 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers were deployed to Poland in February of last year, amid mounting signs of Russia’s intention to invade Ukraine. We were there “to reassure our NATO allies, deter any potential aggression against NATO’s eastern flank, train with host-nation forces, and contribute to a wide range of contingencies.” Prior to our arrival, it had been over seventy-five years since a paratrooper from the division had set foot on the European continent during a period of such tension. Although their predecessors in the division had jumped into combat or manned their gliders into places such as Sicily, Salerno, Anzio, Normandy, Holland, Belgium, and ultimately Germany, last year’s deployment brought the paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division to a new country to add to its lineage: Poland.
I had the privilege of serving on the brigade staff during this crisis, including a brief period as the brigade S4—the unit’s logistics officer. As a captain with less than a year’s experience, I had my work cut out for me at times. Although challenging, I found motivation and drive seeing young paratroopers in action and knew good staff work would eventually lead to making each paratrooper’s day a little easier. Working on the brigade staff for the planning, deployment, and first few months on the ground, when tensions were extraordinarily high, gave me somewhat of a broad perspective on the deployment. When I assumed company command for the second half of the deployment, which was a challenging transition, I gained an entirely different perspective: I went from planning with division and corps down to the company level, where my paratroopers were now executing those same plans and operations.
The time we spent in Poland is a chapter in the 82nd Airborne Division’s history, and the experience offers lessons not only for future soldiers who will wear the All-American patch but for the entire Army. From my vantage point—first as a staff officer and then as commander of the brigade’s field maintenance company—I had the chance to learn several of these lessons firsthand. Operation European Assure, Deter, and Reinforce was a first in many aspects, and both its successes and failures must be captured. That’s simply how we make our Army better."
Paratroopers in Poland: Lessons from the 82nd Airborne Division's Deployment to Europe - Modern War Institute
On a cold night in early March 2022, I was driving through southeastern Poland with my brigade’s engineer officer. We had just completed a site survey to get showers and […]
mwi.westpoint.edu
